What Brothers Are For
by DustyDreams
Summary: Five times someone called Kurt a fag and Finn comforted him, and one time someone called Finn dumb and Kurt comforted him.


Author's Note: My story is based on this prompt from the Glee Angst Meme: .com/glee_angst_?thread=2372688#t2372688

Warning: Homophobic Violence

The day after he'd moved in, Finn had discovered being a part of the Hummel household meant being a part of Hummel Tire and Lube. It didn't seem to matter that Finn knew nothing about cars; they'd had coveralls made for him and there was no going back.

"Don't worry," Kurt had tossed over his shoulder, "I can teach you."

As it turned out, Kurt knew a lot about cars. As in, he could completely re-assemble an engine while singing along with every song that came on the radio, and he could tell how long a car needed an oil change by the sounds it made coming in.

Finn went from fetching specific wrenches to changing oil in a matter of weeks.

"This baby's three months overdue," Kurt patted a silver Honda CRV as he addressed Finn. "Think you'll be able to handle it on your own?"

Finn was only slightly hesitant in his affirmation, "Yeah, yeah, you're a good teacher."

Kurt's cheeks blushed slightly.

"Hey, Kurt!" Burt called from the front of the shop, "Come pull this gentleman's car in!"

Kurt gave Finn a reassuring smile before obeying.

Finn had just gotten the oil to start draining when he heard it.

"I ain't doin' business with no fags!"

Finn froze. He knew this was being shouted about Kurt, and he knew he should go help...somehow... but he also knew that he was no better not long ago. How was he going to defend Kurt when he'd thrown that same word at him?

Finn was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of Burt shouting up a storm of curses at the customer.

Kurt returned, rounding the CRV with a facial expression halfway between terror and misery.

Finn knew he had to say something. Kurt was just standing there, trying to pull himself together after being humiliated in front of his father, and they both knew that Finn heard, and they both knew it reminded them of that night decorated with a privacy partition and words of hate...

Finn just said the first thing that came to him: "I've got the oil change started."

Before Finn could regret the stupidity of that ice-breaker, his mouth continued, "I think I've really got that down, so, could you teach me something new? You're really good at this stuff."

And it seemed that wasn't such a stupid thing to say. Kurt was able to compose himself with a single cleansing breath, and suddenly he was all cool smile and confidence.

"Why, of course, Finn Hudson. No self-respecting mechanic can't rotate a tire."

Living under the same roof had brought Kurt and Finn closer. School starting up again for their junior year had them riding into school together, eating at the same lunch table, and stopping by each others' lockers to share quick stories between classes.

"Matt fell asleep in History again," Kurt sauntered up as Finn exchanged textbooks. "This time, Puck got three paper wads in his mouth before Mr. Coulter woke him up."

Finn laughed, "How'd he wake him up this time?"

"Oh, nothing original. He just stood over his desk and shouted his name. Though, Matt more than made up for that by falling out of his chair."

"Man, how come all the good stuff happens when you're around?"

"If it's any consolation, a student falling asleep in class is generally a good indication it's incredibly boring."

"Yo, Hudson!"

Kurt tensed before Finn even realized Azimio was shouting at him.

Then it was Karofsky's turn: "You still hanging out with that fag, Finn? Here, we were hoping summer would _straighten_ you out."

"Don't call him that," Finn's words may not have been threatening, but his tone was.

Azimio got in Finn's face, "Whatcha' gonna' do about it?"

Finn didn't back down, "Coach has been itching for an excuse to get extra practice out of you slackers. He catches wind of this? How would you like to spend your free periods running laps for the _rest of the year_?"

The bullies looked more annoyed than intimidated, but they stepped back.

"Whatever, Man. Have fun with your boyfriend."

"Yeah, try not to suck his dick in the hallway."

And with that, Azimio and Karofsky left.

Finn turned to check on Kurt, who had flattened himself against the lockers for protection. Kurt had an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"Thank you," Kurt's expression didn't change.

"You're welcome," Finn waited for the "but" he knew Kurt had in store. He expected a question about why he ever hung out with those neander...neanda...monkey-people. Or, perhaps Kurt would lecture him about letting him fight his own battles, which wouldn't have applied, since Finn was technically the one under attack. Or, maybe Kurt was going to demand why he didn't just go to Tanaka then, instead of allowing the bullies another chance to harass Kurt.

Instead, Kurt's tone was apologetic, "You are going to get so much shit for that."

Finn never wanted Kurt to feel like he had to apologize for what those guys said about him, or for being who he was. "Kurt, you're my friend. I'm not going to let them say that about you. You don't deserve to hear it. And, I can handle them. They're just..."

"Neanderthals?" That was the word!

"Yeah. Besides, you are way scarier than both of them combined," Finn shuddered with a smile.

Kurt smiled, too. He was.

By the time Finn reached the parking lot after school, Kurt was waiting by his Navigator. He had his arms crossed over his chest and he looked upset.

Crap. Finn knew he shouldn't have had that burrito for lunch. Kurt hated to be kept waiting.

As Finn got closer, he noticed Kurt wouldn't even look at him. His displeasure seemed less like annoyance and more like despair.

Finn's tardiness had hit Kurt harder than he'd thought. He ran the rest of the way to the car.

"Hey, Kurt, sorry I'm late!"

Kurt didn't react; he just kept staring at his trunk.

Finn followed Kurt's eyes, "Oh."

Someone had taken a key and their sweet time carving thick-lettered words into the paint: "FAG," "HOMO," "COCKSUCKER" ... "GODIE."

"Godie?" Finn always got to the heart of the matter.

"I believe they were attempting 'GO DIE,'" Kurt used his indifferent voice, but Finn had spent enough time with him to recognize the masked tears.

Finn swiped his finger over the "H" in "HOMO," "It doesn't feel too deep."

"How considerate of them."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Excuse me?"

"Kurt, we're mechanics! We get this to the garage and we can have it sanded and repainted in two days, easy."

Kurt finally faced Finn, his eyes still shining with unshed tears, "Thank you, Finn."

Finn gave Kurt's shoulder a squeeze, "No problem, Bro."

It was the first time that term of endearment had been used, and by the smile that spread across Kurt's face, Finn decided it wouldn't be the last.

"Ooo!" Finn continued, "Have you ever considered racing stripes?"

It was dark by the time Coaches Tanaka and Sylvester let Finn and Kurt out of their respective practices.

There was a bit of limping that neither of them would admit to as they made their way to Finn's truck.

When the truck came to life, it reminded Finn he'd been cruising on empty for over a day, and his luck was probably pushed to its limits.

"Hey, you mind if we stop and get gas on the way home?"

Kurt glanced to the digital clock on the dashboard and shrugged, "I've still got twenty minutes before my moisturizing routine."

Finn took that as a "yes" and pulled into the nearest station.

He filled his truck with regular unleaded, grimacing as the price steadily rose, as Kurt hummed boredly to himself in the passenger seat.

"Hey, Kurt, I'm going to go pay inside. Do you mind making sure the fuel nozel clicks off?"

The fuel nozel was going to click off, the fuel nozel was _designed_ to click off, but Kurt stepped out of the truck and obeyed.

Moments after Finn entered the station market, a silver SUV that needed its oil changed four months ago pulled up next to Kurt.

Out stepped Karofsky. And five of his hockey teammates.

The universe was a funny bitch sometimes.

"Hey, look, it's the fairy who turned Hudson gay!"

"Whuddup, Homo?"

"What gives you the right to be here?"

The last question came from Karofsky, the obvious pack leader, as the jocks surrounded Kurt.

Kurt tried to puff up, look larger than he was, but he was pretty small to begin with. He decided to hide behind his tongue, "I'm not in the mood, Karofsky."

The jock loomed closer, "I wasn't asking you on a date, _Faggot_. I was telling you to get lost."

Where was Finn?

Being outnumbered six to one, Kurt dropped the bitchiness, "Why don't you just fill up your tank and leave me alone? I wasn't bothering you-"

"You are always bothering me!" Karofsky slammed his fist into Kurt's jaw.

Kurt stumbled back, and before he could recover, he felt another punch bruise his ribcage.

A strong kick to his chest had Kurt on the ground, gasping.

A gush of wetness hit him, and the resulting noxious fumes made him gag.

Kurt looked up to see Karofsky holding a fuel nozel like a gun, trained on him.

Karofsky pulled out a lighter and struck it, "Hey, guys, want to see why they call them flamers?"

Realization hit Kurt like a freight train. They were going to kill him. They were going to burn him alive right there in the gas station.

Kurt struggled to get up, but two meaty jocks held him in place, not understanding fire would hurt them, too.

Kurt held up his hands in a meager defense, "No, please, God, _don't_!"

"Hey!" Finn's voice shouted from the front of the market.

"Finn!" Kurt screamed for help.

Finn was immediately joined by the gas station owner, leveling a shotgun at the circle of jocks, "Get the hell out of my gas station!"

Karofsky simply shrugged, pocketing his lighter and leading his pack to the SUV, as if this whole thing wasn't that important to him in the first place.

Satisfied, the gas station owner returned to his counter.

Finn, however, rushed to Kurt's side, "Are you okay?" Finn sounded almost as panicked as Kurt was.

Kurt looked up at him and burst into tears, sobbing out a "No..."

Finn collapsed next to him and pulled him into a hug. Rocking him back and forth and rubbing soothing circles into his back, Finn murmured words of comfort: "It's okay. They're gone. It's over. They can't hurt you. I've got you. You're safe. It's okay, Bro. I'm here now."

Kurt just held onto Finn, trying to cry the terror from his body.

A week later, Finn found Kurt crying again.

This time, he was in bed, quiet, just letting the tears falls one after another.

Finn considered giving Kurt his space, but he was an athlete, so solving things with inactivity wasn't really his way.

Finn moved closer to the bed, "Scoot over."

A few months previous, Kurt would have protested that he was fine, that Finn didn't have to worry. A few months previous, Kurt wouldn't have let Finn see him cry.

Kurt moved over, giving Finn room to lie down next to him.

Finn wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, remembering what wonders a well-timed hug could do for Kurt's mood. He knew he'd done the right thing when Kurt nuzzled into Finn's side.

"Is this about the gas station?" No one in the Hummel-Hudson household had yet recovered from that night.

Kurt shook his head.

Finn thought it possible that Kurt was just embarrassed about crying over a week-old incident, no matter how traumatizing, so he tried to make it easier to admit to, "I'm still shaken up about that night."

Kurt wrapped his arm around Finn's stomach, returning the hug. Still, he didn't speak.

"Well, I'm just going to lie here until you tell me what's wrong. Or, I fall asleep."

That got a laugh out of Kurt, which Finn considered progress. Then, words: "I was sort of seeing someone."

Finn's eyes widened.

Kurt gave his stomach a light smack, "Don't look at me like that!"

"No! It's just...you had a boyfriend?"

"No, I had a boy who liked to make out but refused to come out."

"Oh, so you couldn't tell anyone."

"Yeah, only it doesn't really matter anymore, because whatever we had is over now."

Finn unconsciously squeezed Kurt a bit tighter.

Kurt continued, "He found out what happened last week, how I was nearly killed for being gay. He said he couldn't handle it anymore, that he didn't want to be discovered as 'Lima's Other Fag.'"

There was that word again, that word that still filled Finn with shame and anger.

"Want me to beat him up?"

Kurt laughed in response.

"I'm serious! He hurt you; I'm supposed to beat him up. It's what big brothers are for!"

"Then, I guess little brothers are for keeping their big brothers out of jail. No beating people up."

"Okay, but the offer still stands. You just say the word."

"Thanks, Finn, but I think I just need to lie here for a while."

"Okay."

...

"You know you don't have to lie here with me."

"I know."

...

"You're a good brother, Finn."

"I know."

Kurt was watching Project Runway in the living room, obeying the unspoken rule about romantic partners entering shared bedrooms and forced relocation.

The gesture proved unnecessary when Rachel's shrill voice interrupted Heidi Klum from the opening basement door.

"I just don't see what the big deal is!"

"I don't need you doing my homework for me," Finn sounded...hurt. Kurt was only pretending to watch his show at this point, ready to jump to Finn's aid if it was required.

The arguing couple moved into the entryway.

"I know you don't lack the _drive_, Finn. It's just, Figgins is cracking down on extra-curricular activities ever since he found out half the Cheerios are secretly failing, so if you don't reach the required GPA by midterms, you are out of Glee. I don't need to tell you how lost Glee would be without you. I'm simply ensuring the strength of the club by-"

"By doing my homework for me because you don't think I'm smart enough to do it on my own!"

"Finn, I don't mean to offend you. You have many other fine qualities."

Kurt wanted to jump in there, probably just to point out Rachel's distinct lack of fine qualities, but Finn was holding his own.

"I think you should go."

"Finn-"

"I have to study, and I can't do that with other people around."

With Finn using her own argument against her, she knew she couldn't win. "I'm sorry I offended you, Finn. I hope this doesn't tarnish our relationship." And, Rachel was gone.

Kurt heard Finn stomp into the kitchen and smack a few cabinets around under the guise of scrounging up some (likely high in trans-fat) grub.

"Finn!" Kurt called from his perch on the couch, "I don't understand this game!" Of course he didn't understand it. He'd just turned to the channel. He wasn't even certain it was football yet.

"Oo, the Kings game." Finn knew their name. So far, so good. "What do you mean you don't understand it? You were on the football team."

"I was the kicker, Finn. I didn't learn plays; I stretched my leg and danced."

Finn held back a laugh, "You did dance."

Kurt fixed him with a glare, "Are you going to explain this, or not?"

"Okay, okay, what do you need explained?"

Oh, good question... Umm...think!

"They are so close to the home...zone...thing, and the catchers keep missing, so why don't they just bring out the kicker?"

Finn couldn't hold back his laugh that time, but he explained, "Well, a couple of reasons. Field goals are worth less points than touchdowns, and it's a close game, so they want as many points as they can get. Also, their kicker, MacAbee, sprained his ankle last season, so Coach Raimes tries not to use him too often, at least until he's confident again. Oh, and the opposing team has been known to rush kickers, a totally illegal move, but effective in crippling opponents into only having one safe option to score."

Kurt nodded along, finding Finn to have a real knack for explaining the sport in a way he could almost understand.

A few moments later, Kurt spoke up again, "Okay, why did the umpires throw the canary cloths?"

"The...refs...throw those flags after players have committed penalties. This one was for a false start, which is when a player on the offensive side... umm, the team with the football at the time... moves after they get in their set positions but before the play starts.

"Here, watch the replay. See number seven? He's an offensive lineman, and he moves, like, an inch to the left...there! That's a penalty."

Kurt turned to his brother approvingly, "Wow, Finn, you're pretty smart with this stuff."

Finn returned a bashful smile, "Thanks, Kurt."

The two watch the game for a few more minutes, content in the knowledge that they were there for each other.

"Hey, Bro?"

"Yeah, Finn?"

"You can change it back to your runway show now."

"Oh, God, thank you!"


End file.
